Hinge for molded articles



Feb. 6, 1962 w. l. WILLIAMS 3,019,452

HINGE FOR MOLDED ARTICLES Filed Nov. 3,. 1958 W554 5 1 I WILL/9M6. IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent a isaisz HINGE FGR MGLDED ARTIflLES Wesley l. Williams, Ron :4, Midway City, Calif. Filed Nov. 3, li'fid, Ser. No. 771,265 illaims. (ill. 4---236} My invention relates to a hinge structure for hinging two members together and more particularly to a hinge structure comprising hinge members that are respectively embeddable in molded members, typically the ring and lid members of a toilet seat ensemble.

Such members would desirably be molded of any suitable material or composition but attempts to screw thereto conventional hinge fittings have not been satisfactory. Wood screws apparently do not hold well in such molded articles and failures of such fasteners to hold the hinge fittings tightly and permanently have led away from the use of molded ring and lid members.

It is an object of the invention to provide a hinge member which anchors firmly to a molded member when embedded therein during the molding thereof.

In this respect, it is an object to provide anchor elements extending from opposite sides of a base element of a. hinge member, these anchor elements being of such shape and position as to anchor or lock the hinge member permanently to a molded member against the load to be applied thereto in use.

A further object is to provide a hinge member having an elongated substantially flat base element having hinge ears bent from opposite ends thereof to extend in parallel planes but in a general direction in such planes other than at right angles to the fiat base element.

Another object is to bend two such hinge members at slightly different positions so that the hinge ears of one hinge member will lie between the hinge ears of the other hinge member but respectively adjacent thereto.

A further object is to employ a hinge pin for hinging adjacent hinge ears of two hinge members together.

Still another object is to provide an improved hinge structure for hinging together the ring and lid members of a toilet seat ensemble while anchoring same uniquely thereto to resist the weight forces applied thereto.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a toilet bowl equipped with the toilet seat ensemble of the invention;

PKG. 2 is a view of the hinge structure of FIG. 1, partially in section, taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one'of the hinge members of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged elevational view of the hinge structure of the invention.

Referring particularly to FIG. 1, the invention includes a hinge structure iii including upper and lower hinge members ll and 12 illustrated as respectively having portions embedded in a lid member 15 and ring memher in of a toilet seat ensemble suitably secured to a conventional bowl 17. It is desirable that one or both of the members l5, 16 be molded to shape in a suitable mold. Suitable plastic materials of the thermosetting or thermoplastic type may be employed. However, the preferred plastic material is a resin and wood mixture comprising a mixture of suitable resin and wood fibers, known variously as wood flour, wood pulp, ground wood, etc. Such mixtures are of known composition and no novelty is claimed herein for these mixtures per se. Other moldable materials can likewise be used, the invention residing not in the particular moldable material used but rather the way in which the hinge members are secured thereto.

The two hinged members 11 and 12 are preferably formed from sheet metal stampings of identical contour. Each hinge member has an elongated substantially flat base element 20 (FIGS. 3 and 4) with a plurality of anchor elements 22 extending from opposite sides of the base element, these anchor elements having openings 23 respectively therethrough and being adapted to fill with and lock the hinge member to an embedding member, as when the base element 26 is embedded during the molding of a member such as the ring member 16. The anchor elements 22 on each side of the base element 20 are preferably bent upward therefrom to extend at equal obtuse angles relative to the base element. Stated in other words, the anchor elements preferably flare upwardly or in a direction opposite to that in which the expected dislodging force is to be applied to the embedding member.

Hinge ears 25 are bent from the ends of the base element 20 to lie in parallel planes transverse to the plane of the base element. In the original stamping, the hinge ears 2S lie in the same plane as the base element but diverge in a direction away from one side of the base element 25). The bend is made along a line at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the base element 2! e.g. along the line A-A of FIG. 3. Each of the hinge cars 25 has a longitudinal axis, suggested by the line B-B of FIG. 3. When bent into proper orientation, the longitudinal axes of the hinge ears lie in a plane at an angle to the longitudinal midplane of the base element perpendicular thereto. Each hinge ear 25 has a pinreceiving opening 23 therethrough, the extremity of the hinge car being preferably a circular arc formed about the center of the corresponding opening 28, see FIG. 3.

The bend lines of the hinge ears 25 are spaced slightly more on one hinge member than on the other. It is desired that the spacing of the hinge ears on one hinge member shall be sufiiciently less than the spacing of the corresponding ears on the other hinge member to fit therebetween but adjacent thereto. If the hinge members are thus formed from identical blanks, the hinge ears 25 of one will thus be slightly longer than the corresponding ears of the other hinge member, measured along the axis B--B. The relative spacing of the hinge ears of the two hinge members is best shown in FIG. 2 where the hinge ears 25 of the lower hinge member 12 are spaced slightly greater than the corresponding ears 25 of the upper hinge member ill. The difference in spacing is only sufficient to permit each pair of ears Z5, 25' to be immediately adjacent each other, thereby minimizing side play along the hinge axis.

While it is possible to bend the hinge cars 25 of each hinge member to extend away from the corresponding base section 20 in the same direction as the anchors 22, it is preferable to reverse the direction of bend as between the two hinge members, producing the relationship shown in FIG. 4. In this way, the base element 20 is embedded toward the lower surface of each of the lid and ring members 15 and 16, the anchor elements 22 ilaring upwardly. This is particularly desirable in the arrangement shown as it gives a better separation of the members 15, 16 and as the degree of anchoring of the hinge members is improved. With this arrangement, the hinge ears 25' of the upper hinge member ll extend largely from the lower portion of the lid member 15. On the other hand, the hinge ears 25 of the lower hinge member 12 extend more nearly from the rear edge of the ring member 16. It is preferable that the bottom face of the base section 20 be flush with the bottom of the ring member 146 as shown in FIG. 4.

The actual hinging of the hinge members 11 and 12 relative to each other is etlected by a hinge pin 32 (FIG. 2) which can be a tubular member as shown, having end portions 33 beyond the hinge ears. The openings 28 may be of such size as to receive the hinge pin 32 and swing thereon. Preferably, however, each opening 28 is made slightly larger to receive a bushing 3dv (FIG. 2) pressed therein, the bushing journalling on the hinge pin 32.

The ends of the hinge pin 32 extend respectively through the paired openings 28. The exposed end portions 33 are respectively received in sockets of post members 35 having flanges 36 resting on an upper lip of the bowl 1'7 with threaded studs 37 extending therethrough and receiving nuts 38 locking the seat ensemble to the bowl.

While the hinge structure of the invention has been shown particularly related to a toilet seat ensemble it should be clear that it is not limited thereto. The hinge members of the invention can be embedded in various other molded members Where adequate anchoring has been a problem. The hinge members of the invention are easily manufactured by punching and forming operations. The anchoring or locking action effected by the anchor elements 22 is extremely rigid and will resist displacement forces far in excess of those which would destroy the attachment by use of other fasteners.

Various changes and modifications can be made Without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A toilet seat assembly, comprising: a molded toilet seat member having a bottom portion; a molded toilet seat cover member having a bottom portion; a hinge structure for hinging together said two members to swing from a side-by-side position to a position substantially perpendicular to each other comprising two hinge members each including an elongated substantially fiat base element having opposed side edges and opposed ends with a hinge ear at each end bent normal to the plane of the base element, the spacing between the hinge ears of one member being less than the spacing between the hinge ears of the other member so that the members can be postiioned one inside the other; and anchor elements formed integral with each base element and extending outwardly therefrom, the anchor elements of one hinge member being molded into the bottom portion of one of said molded members and the anchor elements of the other hinge member being molded into the bottom portion of the other molded member.

2. The toilet seat assembly defined in claim 1 in which the anchor elements of each hinge member are formed integral with the base element and extend outwardly therefrom at the side edges at an obtuse angle.

3. The toilet seat assembly defined in claim 2 in which the hinge ears and anchor elements of one hinge member extend from the base element in the same general direction and the hinge ears and anchor elements of the other hinge member extend from the base element in opposite directions.

4. The method of forming a hinge structure containing two hinge members which includes the steps of: providing two similar, fiat hinge blanks of sheet metal each containing an elongated base elementhavingopposed side edges and opposed ends with anchor elements extending, from the side edges and hinge ears extending from the ends; bending the anchor elements of both blanks in one direction away from the plane of the base element; bending the hinge ears of one blank in the same general direction as the anchor elements so as to extend substantially perpendicular to the baseelement; and bending the hinge ears of the other blank in the other direction away from the anchor elements so as to extend substantially perpendicular to the base element in the opposite direction.

5.'The method of forming a hinge structure containing two hinge members which includes the steps of: pro viding two similar, flat hinge blanks of sheet metal each containing an elongated base element having opposed side edges and opposed ends with anchor elements extending from the side edges and hinge ears extending from the ends; bending the anchor elements of both blanks in the same general direction so as to form an obtuse angle with the base element; bending the hinge ears of one blank in the same general direction as the anchor elements so as to extend substantially perpendicular to the base element with a predetermined spacing between the hinge ears; and bending the hinge ears of the other blank in the other direction away from the anchor elements so as to extend substantially perpendicular to the base element in the opposite direction with a predetermined spacing between the hinge ears, the spacing between the hinge ears of one member being greater than the spacing between the hinge ears of the other member so that the members can be nested together.

References @ited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,514,917 Lotz Nov. 11, 1924 1,576,870 Stevens et a1. Mar. 16, 1926 1,830,330 Nielsen Nov. 3, 1931 2,060,852 Campbell Nov. 17, 1936 2,386,824 Tinnerman Oct. 16, 1945 

